UN Expresses Deep Pains Over Schoolgirls Abduction In Nigeria

…Calls for Gender Equality and Empowerment

By Bukar BOLORI

The United Nations (UN) has expressed deep pain over school girls abductions in Nigeria. UN Women Deputy Executive Director, Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda who was in Nigeria on official visit at the weekend while expressing the concern of the international body over the continued kidnappings in schools in the country, also called for gender equality, the empowerment and rights for all women and girls in Nigeria.

Gumbonzvanda said she personally feels the pains as a mother of what the abducted children are going through.

She said: “And at the outset, to also express as a mother, as a leader, my deep pain with the abductions that we still continue to see of our daughters. I needed to express that at the outset.

“I, therefore, join my voice to call for the release of the abducted daughters of this nation. As a mother, I even feel my stomach churning when I wonder, what did she eat today? Where did she sleep tonight? Was she inappropriately touched? What are her fears and her traumas? And I also think of her community, their communities, and their families. And therefore reaffirm that every girl must have a right and does have a right to security and to education.”

She added: “Violence against women and girls remains pervasive in this country, Nigeria, with the abductions that I have mentioned and the attacks on schoolgirls highlighting the urgent need for safety in schools, safety in our homes, in our communities, and online.”

She explained that “This is critical because globally, nearly one in three women experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime.”

Gumbonzvanda also decried the alarming rate of Technology-Facilitated Gender Based Violence, calling for proper protections for the girl child.

She said: “A critical area of concern remains technology-facilitated gender-based violence, which is rising globally and nationally. Between 16 percent and 58 percent of women worldwide experience some form of online or technology-facilitated gender-based violence, depending on the region.

“Globally, one in three women experience physical or sexual violence. And technology-facilitated abuse affects up to 58 percent of women, according to our UN Women data of 2022.”

The UN Women official also noted that UN Women is supporting the governments and stakeholders in strengthening the policy frameworks, enhancing digital safety, and promoting accountability for online harms.

She, however, stressed the importance of a legal framework to address the menace.

According to her: “Effective legal frameworks and inclusive governance are essential to reversing this trend. My discussion with ambassadors accredited to Nigeria also underscored the importance of enhanced regional cooperation and particularly across the Sahel and West Africa, where women’s leadership and peace-building efforts are indispensable for stability and for sustainable development.”

Gumbonzvanda commended the Nigeria’s National Assembly’s strong commitment to strengthening legislation that protects women and girls in advancing measures that expand women’s participation in governance.

She also commented on women’s representation at the National Assembly which stood at 3.8 percent, far way below the global average of 27.2 percent according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union data of 2025.

She urged the country to adopt the “Legislative reforms such as affirmative action, such as quotas, and the proposed special seats which are globally recognised to accelerate women’s participation.

She said: “These measures are not just there to strengthen democracy, but also to ensure rule of law in that budget reflects the needs of half of the population.”

She, therefore , sees the ongoing debate on the special bill as positive, stating that: “Therefore, I am really excited to be here in this country, as the country engages deeply and boldly and confidently on the special seats bill. And I’m looking forward to the day when it will be passed. I do, in every country, because also as the UN, special measures are part of standards, are part of international standards.

“And equally, we have SDG 5 on women in decision making, which aims for gender parity by 2030. So the efforts in Nigeria are a good progressive approach towards that goal. Economic empowerment is vital for sustainable development.”

On the need to empower women, Gumbonzvanda stressed that women make up over 70 percent of Nigeria’s agricultural labour force, yet face barriers to land, to credit, to markets.

She noted that: “Gender responsive budgeting and investments in women farmers and entrepreneurs can unlock growth and resilience. Closing gender gaps in labour participation could add up to 12 million to global GDP by 2025, according to the data from McKinsey, proving that empowering women is smart economics.

“Empowering women economically is not charity. It is innovation, it is development, it is a benefit that extends the entire community. Some of us are sitting here because our mothers in the rural areas were empowered to be able to send their goats to market and be able to pay school fees, that we’re able to give soap and sugar, because our mothers were able to get a little bit of income in the family.

“So economic empowerment is not just about the national economic data. It’s about life, everyday life in our communities. To sustain and scale progress, predictable and innovative financing is essential.”

Speaking on her visit, which is the first to Nigeria, the UN official said it was to deepen partnership, reinforce national leadership, and accelerate collective action to advance gender equality, the empowerment and rights for all women and girls in Nigeria.

She noted that the visit has allowed her to witness the tangible impact of UN Women’s Working Communities.

Gumbonzvanda said: “ Over the past days, I have engaged with various stakeholders and partners. I’ve engaged with the members of the National Assembly, the diplomatic partners, the United Nations country team, civil society organisations, and community women who are driving progress at the very, very grassroots level.”

She also narrated her experience in Kwali, a community in the Federal Capital Territory, where she joined the women to peel cassava and also to partake in processing it into flour (food), saying “ and how we enjoy it with Ogusi soup. It was a very important experience for us to see how we can actually do agro-processing in communities, but to understand what it takes and what is needed to provide that transformation that is needed.”

She also revealed that the targeted investments to improve women’s lives in agro-processing is very important.

“It was also very clear that the investments to improve economic empowerment at community level would reduce the time burdens, would expand income-generating opportunities, and would also unleash the potential of women,” she said.

She explained that: “Globally, access to safe water and sanitation reduces the time women spend on unpaid care work. This is so important for us that we invest in water and sanitation.

“And that when women have greater access to water and sanitation, it enables them greater participation in economic activities.

“These are practical examples of how empowering women strengthens communities and enhances resilience as we turn policy into lived experiences in our communities.

“At the UN system, I have interacted with our colleagues in the UN system and have reiterated UN Women’s commitment to coordinated multi-sectoral action, particularly on gender-based violence prevention, on women’s economic empowerment, and on advancing the women’s peace and security agenda in Nigeria.”

She assured Nigeria women that the “UN Women will continue to mobilise partnership across governments, development partners in the private sector, to ensure that front-line organisations and national institutions have the resources required to deliver lasting change. Nigeria has demonstrated strong leadership and a clear commitment to advancing the rights of women and girls. UN Women stands ready to continue to support these national efforts, working with all partners in translating commitments to measurable transformation results.”